>> live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. >> it was not elegantly stated. i was speaking off the cuff. i'm sure i could of stated it more clearly. >> the romney campaign on the defense this morning as the nominee tries to explain controversial comments he made at a fund-raiser. the remarks were caught by hidden camera. good morning. it's tuesday, september 18. i am steve chenevey. >> i am pamela brown today in for cynne simpson. let's go straight to jacqui jeras in the weather center. >> some rainfall.

there's a threat of a damaging wind this afternoon and isolated tornadoes. in the meantime, you can see we have rain fall mainly along interstate 81 and to the west. nothing in the district at this time. before midnight we could pick up a 10th of an inch of rain. it will be heavy at times today. we could have urban flooding expected. 73 by 9:00, scattered thunderstorms and 76 by noon. 79 degrees with storms possible by late in the day. >> a new headache for romney's campaign. he is defending comments he made during a fund-raiser in which he said nearly half of americans believe they are victims and are entitled to government support. now . >> good evening. i understand there's a video on the internet. >> tonight mitt romney moves

quickly to address the growing controversy about statements he made about americans who support obama. >> president believes in a government-centered society. i believe in free enterprise and a free individuals residing. >> the video comes from behind closed doors fund-raiser. mitt romney is clear. >> there are 47% of the people -- >> the statement that 47% of obama supporters are dependent on the government is causing controversy. credit goes to show how out of touch he is with the american mainstream. >> someone leaked it to a left- wing publication. it's mother jones is an interesting place to go. >> regardless of the genesis of

the video, it comes at an inopportune time for the romney camp. the campaign was planning to refocus this week after his statement on the murder of u.s. diplomats in libya. >> later this morning mitt romney and his wife will make an appearance on "live! with kelly and michael" at 9:00. it was three taped. he kept things light by talking about his love for at jersey shore start snooki and his pet peeves. >> paul ryan will campaign in new hampshire this morning and then to newport news virginia. tomorrow morning he will speak at a factory in danville. he has made several stops in virginia. >> president obama and the vice president hitting the campaign trail. rapper jay-z and his wife will host a fund-raiser for the president in new york today. tonight the president will appear on the late show with

david letterman. vice president biden will campaign in iowa. the president will still visit prince william county on friday. he will be in woodbrige and not manassas. stay with abc 7 for full coverage of the presidential election. for instance updates, go to our web site wjla.com. as well as facebook and twitter. >> the retrial of a local veteran charged with murdering his roommate. michael mcqueen was found shot to death in his apartment in gaithersburg in 2006. his roommate gary smith told police an intruder did it. smith later changed his story saying the man killed himself. he was convicted of murder in 2008, but it was overturned on a technicality. liberation's in the latest trial began. . >> around prince george's county, a man wanted in the shooting death of his ex- girlfriend is in custody. the 33-year-old michael stewart was arrested last night. he got into a confrontation with

25-year-old brittany mckinley. she was found shot to death inside a vehicle in capitol heights early sunday morning. another woman was shot but is expected to be ok. in spots linn county investigators searching for answers after an apparent murder-suicide. yesterday 43-year-old david anderson shot his sister inside their home and then shot her again as she ran to a neighbor's house. then he shot and killed his mother when she came out of the house. then he turned the gun on himself the. neighbors say that area is normally safe. >> i cannot believe it. stuff like that does not happen here. >> it's very upsetting. >> laura is in critical but stable condition, the sister, and she's expected to survive. >> next month is 10 years since the sniper shootings that created a wave of fear across the district region. the man killed 10 people over three weeks in october of 2004.

he was executed in 2009. his accomplice is spending life in prison. the people led the investigation will join us at 6:00 this morning. >> it's tuesday morning. >> still ahead what some local investigators call one of the worst animal cruelty cases

>> welcome back. let's check the weather. >> let's check in with jacqui jeras. >> you can feel the humidity when you walk out the door. it's very foggy. . overcast this will continue streaming into the area throughout the day. as the cold front approaches, showers and thunderstorms develop and some could be severe. the most likely threat will be damaging wind, but we cannot rule out an isolated tornado. and a little flash flooding will be possible especially in low- lying areas. right now there's light rain nothing to be concerned about this hour, other than slippery streets of. cloudy skies today with showers and thunderstorms, 76-81. we will be done with this system by this time tomorrow? . hang in there for the next 24 hours or so. let's see how the roads are

doing with jamie. >> it's ok around the capital beltway. no problems on 395 and across the 14th street bridge. the wet pavement is mixing with the rush hour, so allow extra time. there is activity between the fredericksburg-stafford area. 95 between route 3 and 17, two separate accidents on the shoulder. the ramp from route 3 east bound to go north on 95, an earlier accident is gone, but there is still high standing water. that is the busiest stretch right now. the beltway at new hampshire avenue looking at conditions, no work and no delays. >> metro plans to offer wireless coverage by next month -- had planned to offer wireless coverage by next month, but now

it will be sometime by 2015. >> it's tuesday morning. >> major developments in the royal family's fight to block the public

>> welcome back. republican nominee mitt romney is making no apologies after a video surfaced of him telling wealthy donors, almost half of americans believe they are victims entitled to government support for. romney says he could've made the comments were clearly and in a more effective way. president obama will spend time in new york city today. he will attend a fund-raiser hosted by beyonce and her husband. he will appear on the late show with david letterman as well. jury deliberations resume in the retrial of an iraq war veteran charged with killing his roommate. gary smith is accused of killing him at their

gaithersburg apartment in 2006. smith was convicted in 2008, but the conviction was overturned. >> and afghan militant says he carried out a suicide attack near kabul air force base. a female suicide bomber rammed a small sedan into a mini bus killing nine people. the minibus was believed to carry foreign aviation workers to the airport. pro-democracy leader aung san suu kyi from myanmar is in d.c.. she will meet with secretary of state clinton today and attend an event at the u.s. institute of peace. she will receive the congressional gold medal. she spent nearly two decades under house arrest. will also visit new york, the midwest, and california. >> the man accused of shooting a security guard in downtown washington is expected in court today. the man walked into the

conservative lobbying group's building last month and shot the guard in the arm. he said he did not like the group's politics, the family research council. one of the worst animal cruelty cases ever. >> eric gaskin was responsible for a declawing of wto . >> these two 8-week-old kitten came to the washington humane society crying out in pain after and during her research cruelty at the hands of their owner. eric gaskin day claude the caps in such a primitive manner, the bones in their feet and legs were broken. they could not walk. doctors determined they would likely lead a life of long-term pain and suffering, so they had to euthanize the animals. >> by the time we got the kittens, not only did they have all these broken bones, but a severe infection in each of their toes. an unspeakable act of cruelty.

>> he bought the tickets for his daughter in may while living in a relative's home in southeast washington. they believe that he did call the animals so they would not dare up the furniture. soafter that relative saw what happened, they contacted authorities. gasking said that he did not know how the kittens had broken their legs, but speculated that they had fallen off a table or a bookshelf or maybe his daughter rolled over on them. authorities did not buy that story. and neighbors could not believe it. >> he should be prosecuted. >> the suspect faces two felony charges. could face up to five years in prison if convicted. jay korff, abc 7. >> a victory for fairfax county

church in its battle over electronic sign. the church in violation of a county ordinance for posting a two different messages per day. time it posted inspirational notes. the judge repealed the message to limit law. >> the new arrival at the national zoo caused pandemonium. >> mei xiang gave birth to her first cup since 2005. -- cub. there were many years of failed attempts. we don't yet know if it's a boy or girl. the panda bear will not be given a name until its 100 days old along with chinit is a little warmer than its been the last few days pushing

70 degrees already. ratings are in for the first

>> tuesday morning. >> we will check in with jacqui jeras. more rainfall on the way? >> yes, and some thunderstorms could be severe this afternoon. be aware. warm and muggy to start.

73 at reagan national airport. expectintemperatures in the upper 60's currently. we had some heavier amounts of rain across parts of the west three-quarters of an inch if. that's where the rain continues to fall, along interstate 81 corridor and westward. a steady stream of moisture will be moving in throughout the day. a chance of thunderstorms increases at noon. damaging wind will be our primary concern. we cannot rule out an isolated tornado and possible flash flooding with one or two inches of expected. a few severe storms possible today, high temperatures around 80 degrees. first, let's check on the wet roads with jamie. >> currently it's ok at this hour. some wet pavement around the region. 270 is up to speed between frederick and the capital beltway.

not seeing anything along the way. 355 out of a gaithersburg and down to the beltway, normal. bethesda through college park and landover and the wilson bridge and american legion bridge checking out fine. no problems. 395 getting into the nation's capital and the 14th street bridge looks good. in stafford and fredericksburg, two separate incidents northbound 95 between route 3 and route 7 team, both on the shoulder. back to you. >> thank you. a french judge is expected to rule on a request today to block publication of topless photographs of the duchess of cambridge. lawyers for the british family filed the lawsuit saying it was an invasion of privacy. irish and italian magazines have also published pictures. >> hollywood and fans of general hospital are mourning the loss

of john engel. >> he died sunday in los angeles. he made his final appearance on general hospital. he also appeared on days of our lives and was on a host of prime-time shows including the original dallas series. he was 84 years old. for the first time on american television we are hearing from the former boyfriend of american k -- of amanda knox. he will talk about the murder case that made headlines and his reunion with her. he has written a new book. that is out today. you can catch his interview with katie couric at 4:00 on abc 7. >> her new talk-show is the highest rated talk show of the false indications season. coming in second is steve garvey, followed by probst and

ricki lake. >> a new report on obesity will be released this morning. the report is called "f as in fat. it provides state rankings of adult and child obesity rates in the u.s. and forecasts the rates for each state by the year 2013 and the likely resulting new cases of obesity-related diseases. >> today's national cheeseburger date. >>-- day. bgr restaurant is holding a cheeseburger e.d. and championship today -- eating championship. the winner receives $500 and a chance to compete in the national final.

>> we will have our own competition. it is almost 70 degrees. >> almost 25 years since the release of michael jackson's "bad." what the jackson state is doing to mark the

>> i understand there's a video

that's been on the internet a few weeks that has attracted some attention. >> doing damage control,. how mitt romney is responding to the release of a video of controversial comments during a fund-raiser. >> jurors returned to a courthouse in a darke county to deliberate -- in montgomery county to deliver the fate of a veteran who killed his roommate. >> some kids created a video telling other youngsters to pull up their pants. "good morning washington" at 5:00 starts now. good morning, washington. >> live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. >> its tuesday september 18. i am steve chenevey. >> i am pamela brown. we could be in for a messy commute.